FACING VERT – Details, episodes & analysis

The Table Rock Ultras are quickly approaching, so I sat down with race director, Brandon Thrower, to find out all the details. The Table Rock 50k & 30k will take place on September 21st and here is a little teaser from the website...

Roots and rocks; hills and creeks; views and memories... We offer them all and more at Table Rock Ultras. Your goal is the finish line, but lying between you and that goal is a lot of climbing, creek crossing, rock-hopping, gel-taking, and limit-pushing. The panoramic view from the summit of Table Rock is a perfect reward for all your hard work, until you realize you aren't done...

Hear why this race means to much to Brandon, and listen as he describes every detail of the trails your feet will land on. If you are running this race or simply a spectator, this episode is for you. Also, they are still looking for volunteers, so if you are free, this is a great way to experience this ultra-world that we love. I look forward to hearing about everyone's experience out on the course! Good luck out there!

Table Rock Ultras' website: https://www.tablerockultras.com

Tanawha Adventures website:

https://www.tanawhaadventures.com

Follow Tanawha on Instagram: @tanawha_adventures

Follow Facing Vert on Instagram: @facingvert

I had the pleasure of once again sitting down with the Mountain Monster, Marisa Romeo. (Yes, I made that name up, but just look at her Strava!) The last time we spoke she had just crushed the field at the Looking Glass 100K in November of 2023. I wanted to have her back on to hear all about her latest race, the Lavaredo 120K, that takes place in Italy. To say that I am jealous that she as able to travel to this part of the world and run in these mountains is an understatement, but I loved living the race through her words and her experience. We talked about her training, her strategy, every step of the race, and her thoughts throughout. And let's not forget that she got to witness a day of the Tour de France! So, what is next for Marisa? The sky is the limit, but in her mind...it better be something epic. Thank you, Marisa, for once again coming on Facing Vert. I always love our conversations!

Lavaredo 120K: https://lavaredo.utmb.world/races/lavaredo120k

Marisa's Strava: https://www.strava.com/athletes/41787031?oq=maris

Marisa's Coach:

Ryne Anderson-randerson@trainright.com

Follow us on Instagram, @facingvert! You can also message me there. Thank you for listening!

**Warning: sensitive material is discussed in this podcast**

Ally Carlton was recently on the podcast after she grabbed the FKT both North and Southbound on the Art Loeb Trail within three weeks of each other. Pretty astounding to say the least. And then, in March, Ally crossed the finish line of the MST 100 as the female winner and third overall, despite the horrible weather conditions. But, this episode contains so much more than a race recap of her grind through this race. This episode is raw and real. Ally mentioned in our first episode together that she experienced trauma as a teenager but did not elaborate. But on this episode she was ready to talk about her experience for the first time in a public setting. Yes, her accomplishments are impressive, but her bravery to share, to hopefully help others, is so much more impressive. I am so proud of you, Ally. Your strength, your bravery, your heart to help others, your honesty and your authenticity is beautiful. You are beautiful. Thank you.

Ally wants you to reach out to her if need to talk to someone. You can find her on Strava, and message her through this platform. Click here: Ally's Strava

I have no affiliation with this website, but according to RAINN.org, every 68 seconds an American is sexually assaulted. If you need help, they ask that you call 800.656.HOPE (4673).

Follow Facing Vert on Instagram, @facingvert. As always, thank you for listening and sharing with others.

We are putting this episode out early because 7 Sisters is right around the corner!

On this episode I sat down with Brandon Thrower, of Tanawha Adventures, to get all the details on his upcoming 7 Sisters 25K. According to the Tanawha Adventures website, "The Seven Sisters 25k is a monstrous mountain of a run around the East and West ridges of the Montreat Wilderness! The route passes over multiple peaks and overlooks including; Lookout Rocks, Rocky Head, Graybeard, Rattlesnake Rocks, and of course the Seven Sisters themselves along the treacherous West Ridge Trail."

This is a sold out race, and will be held on April 13th, 2024 at 9:00 AM. Brandon goes through every inch of the course, plus other details that every participate and fan will want to know. If you are even thinking of running this race in the future, his description of the course will definitely convince you!

Tanawha Adventures Website

Tanawha Adventures Instagram

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On this episode, you will hear about my experience running the Mt. Mitchell Heartbreaker 55K that took place on Saturday, March 23, 2024. Somehow I came in first lady and 11th overall with a time of 6:59:59...right under that 7 hours! Turned out to be a beautiful day of running with unexpected views, new friends, and lots of grumbling about gravel roads. :) Needless to say, it was an amazing day to be out on the trails. Thank you to Brandon Thrower, with Tanawha Adventures, for putting on this event. Also thank you to the sponsors for the sick awards...beautifully handcrafted logo wood carving by Jonathan Ibach, a handmade medal by Hannah Thrower, a free pair of shoes from La Sportiva, gift card from Mountain Running Company, and some delicious coffee from Victoire Coffee Company. Wow! Also thank you to Kim Greene for crewing me at Neal's Creek, to my family for cheering me to the finish, to all the volunteers for your encouragement and service, and to all the athletes that were out there grinding like me. A special thank you to the fierce and strong ladies that pushed me to run my best, especially Becca Morris and Becca Johnson (2nd and 3rd female). You are beasts, and it was an honor to race with you. Congratulations to all who ran both the 55K and the 50 miler. So proud of every single one of you! Sorry it is just my voice on this one, but I hope you enjoy!

Tanawha Adventures

La Sportiva

Mountain Running Company

Jonathan Ibach (woodworks)

Message me via Instagram, @facingvert, or email me at tara@runwnc.com.

My gear: Nike Wildhorse Trail Shoes, Black Diamond Poles, Salomon 12 pack

Nutrition: Untapped Maple, Gu Liquid Energy, Gu Roctane, Probar Chews, Cliffs Bloks

Thank you for listening!

Such a fun experience meeting and chatting with coach, ultra runner, business owner, mom and wife-Tera Pruett. Instantly, I was struck by her confidence, her vibrant spirit and her sense of adventure. Tera's goal is to help others accomplish their goals...whether that is on the trails, in the gym, or simply being brave enough to take on adventure that didn't think was possible. She genuinely cares about the success of her athletes, showing them how capable they are even when they feel they are not. I would have her as my cheerleader any day! Besides all the other hats she wears, Tera is the force behind the Asheville Trail Running Film Festival for the past few years. The film festival will take place on April 21st at 4:30 PM at the Orange Peel, and I look so forward to attending this event! For more information, go to https://trailfilmfest.com/event/asheville-north-carolina/. Hope to see you all there! Thank you, Tera, for ALL you do for our trail running community and for sitting down to chat with me.

Listen and see how UNSTOPPABLE she truly is.

Tera's website: https://www.terapruett.com/

Tera's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tera_pruett/

Tera's Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/tera.pruett.3

Follow Facing Vert on Instagram, @facingvert, and also please message me there. Thank you thank you thank you for listening!

The Mt. Mitchell Heartbreaker 50M/55K is coming up on March 23, 2024, and both events are sold out! On this episode, I sit down with race director, Brandon Thrower, to go through every detail of these two events. As it says on Tanawha Adventures website, "The Mount Mitchell Heartbreaker 50M/55K is an extremely scenic tour of "the other Pisgah" in the shadow of Mount Mitchell.  Starting at the foot of the mountains in Old Fort, NC at Camp Grier, the race takes runners up and down some of the most stunning, quad-busting, and heart-pounding trails in all of Western North Carolina, eventually taking the 50 milers over three 6,000 ft+ peaks including Mount Mitchell itself, making this the highest 50 miler east of the Mississippi!"

I think you will definitely find this episode important if you are running the race, crewing, thinking about running this race in the future, or simply a fan. Brandon describes the required gear, important info for crew and spectators, a thorough course description and more. Thank you, Brandon, once again for coming on the podcast and giving us the inside scoop on another beautiful race. Enjoy!

Visit Tanawha's website for more info:

Tanawha Adventures: https://www.tanawhaadventures.com/mountmitchellheartbreaker

Tanawha Adventures' Instagram: @tanawha_adventures

Message me via Instagram, @facingvert, with any questions or comments. Thank you, as always, for listening!

*Warning...sensitive material is discussed in this episode*

Resilient. This one word sums up Rachel Blinn. I was looking forward to meeting Rachel and discussing how she recently crushed the Fierce Dragon H9 200 miler (unbelievable). But, I was also told she had a story that needed to be shared. Little did I know, Rachel has lived 100 lifetimes in her short 29 years. A life she tried to control which just caused it to spin wildly out of control. Insecurity, pain, addiction had her in its clutches, but finally, she fought her way out and allowed herself to recover. A horribly, beautiful story. From the very first few words, my jaw dropped, and I don't think I picked it up until the end. I think you will feel the same. Now running is where Rachel turns...it has always been there, but now it is a constant in her life. And boy, what she has accomplished out there on the trails is nothing short of amazing. "Life is a gift," she said, but Rachel, so are you. Thank you for sharing your story.

Rachel's Instagram: gothicfather777

Rachel's Strava

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I love doing this podcast, because I get to meet and get to know so many incredible people, and Randy Elliott is one of those. Randy continues to get stronger as a trail runner as the races come his way, but he is also an extremely talented musician, rock climber, owns and runs a successful business...all while juggling family life with his beautiful wife and two kiddos. I first heard of Randy when my husband was on a bike ride with some friends, and Randy came running up beside them as they were CLIMBING and carried on a conversation like it was nothing. He was so impressed with Randy, that it was the first thing he told me about when he got home after the ride. Since then, I have personally been able to see him crush the Hellbender 100 (4th overall), Shut-In Ridge Race (7th overall) and The Looking Glass 100k (4th overall). Randy, I am so glad we met, and I am so grateful for the time you spent with me sharing your passions and your struggles in both life and in running. I know we will run into each other many more times in the future, and I am looking forward to it. Again, thank you.

Randy's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rocknrandy/

Randy's Strava

Randy's Business: Mountain Town Electric

Follow Facing Vert on Instagram! @facingvert

Thank you, as always, for listening and for your encouragement.

Ally Carlton...beautiful, strong, brave and extremely fast. Ally and I met at the Hellbender 100 where she took 2nd overall female. I was fortunate enough to share a several miles with her during the first portion of the race, and instantly she struck me as genuine, humble, and one that truly seemed to care for others. Fast forward, and we have run into each other many times at cross country meets since she is the coach for Brevard Middle School. Then, on Thanksgiving Day, Ally goes out and captures the FKT for the Art Loeb Northbound while I was stuffing my face with turkey and mac and cheese! Not only that, but she then goes on to grab the Art Loeb FKT Southbound just 3 weeks later! What!? I was so delighted when she agreed to come on the podcast to talk about these two days, but also about how she discovered running, details of other races and simply life. We have already planned to chat again in the near future after she crushes another 100 this spring. Ally, thank you. You're all around awesome.

Ally doesn't have social media, but she does have Strava! Check her out here: https://www.strava.com/athletes/6894903

Thank you, thank you for listening! Follow us on Instagram and message me there...@facingvert